UFC Fight Night 25 Stock Report

With a destructive first-round stoppage, Jake
Ellenberger elevated his career to new heights Saturday night
in besting top welterweight Jake
Shields.

Squaring off in the main event of UFC Fight
Night 25 in New Orleans, Ellenberger shucked off a pair of
early clinch attempts prior to landing a devastating knee and
follow-up assault that prompted the stoppage just 53 seconds into
the opening stanza.

Now 25-5, Ellenberger’s win over the former Strikeforce
champ and
UFC title challenger puts him in a strong position for the next
title shot in the 170-pound division, depending on how impressive
the victor of the Oct. 29 Nick
Diaz-B.J. Penn scrap
is. The win marked just the second time in Shields’ long career
that he’s been stopped, and showcased the best elements of
Ellenberger’s aggressive style.

On the undercard, TUF 11 winner Court McGee
gutted out a tough unanimous decision over Dongi Yang,
in a bout where McGee’s strong conditioning allowed him to score
two late takedowns in the final round of a well-contested
match.

Here’s a closer look at the night’s results, with the UFC Fight
Night 25 Stock Report.

Stock up

Jake
Ellenberger: Tonight’s performance defines a perfect win,
because it will resonate on multiple levels. Not only did
Ellenberger deliver a crushing first-round stoppage of a highly
respected contender in Shields, but he automatically built a viable
marketing angle regardless of who wins the Oct. 29 welterweight
title tilt between Georges
St. Pierre and Carlos
Condit.

If St. Pierre wins, Ellenberger finished a guy GSP never came close
to stopping; if Condit upsets GSP and eventually faces Ellenberger,
that’s a natural rematch of their 2009 bout in which Condit won by
razor-thin split decision. There’s always the chance that
Ellenberger may have to wait a bit for a shot, especially if Diaz
gets by Penn in marketable fashion. But tonight he showed why he’s
a handful for any contender, as his counter-wrestling, upper-body
strength and all-in approach to striking paid huge dividends.
Styles make fights, and Ellenberger’s ability to capitalize on the
tiny opening Shields offered which led to the big knee and
finishing assault is something you can’t teach.

There’s a reason Condit was an easy plug-in replacement for
Nick
Diaz to challenge St. Pierre, because he comes to take the
other guy’s head off. Ditto for Ellenberger, and that growing
reputation will serve him well because he pulled off something
tonight that a lot of world-class fighters have come nowhere close
to doing.

Photo
Courtesy: Spike TV

McGee excels when facing adversity.

Court
McGee: Heading into the third round of a tough scrap with
Yang, McGee hadn’t been able to score a takedown on the tough
Korean, whose judo and outstanding base denied previous attempts.
But McGee kept pressing, and eventually wore Yang out with a strong
closing effort that reminded viewers of why he won “TUF 11.” The
guy simply never quits. McGee’s ability to master the small details
of his craft, particularly with how he picks his shots and exits
the opponent’s punching range after exchanges, are the product of a
great work ethic. He also knows when to expend energy versus laying
back, and picking the right time to do both is a great skill to
harness, especially in a tough three-rounder where there is no
clear advantage between fighters. Ideally, a match against Alan
Belcher would be a great fit for both guys, as he and McGee would
make a compelling bout.

Alan
Belcher: “The Talent” is back, and served up a reminder why
his nickname is one of the sport’s more appropriate monikers.
Coming off an extensive layoff from injuries, Belcher was too big
and strong for veteran Jason
MacDonald. He and McGee would pose
stylistic problems for one another that would answer
questions of both men.

Erik
Koch: Precise striking and a solid gameplan carried the
featherweight to a decision win over Brookins Saturday night, as
Koch’s takedown defense and excellent standup carried the bout. In
a 145-pound division ruled by champ Jose Aldo, who
defends against Kenny
Florian Oct. 8, the division doesn’t have a lot of viable-case
challengers outside of Chad Mendes,
who’ll likely get the winner. Koch may have cemented his case to be
next in line after Mendes gets his, and it’s a pretty marketable
one. His speed, accuracy and counter-wrestling make him both
fan-friendly and plausibly skilled enough to compete at the next
level. He’s also turning 23 next month, which means he’s only going
to get better down the road.

Hold

Dongi
Yang: “The Ox” put up a whale of a fight against McGee, and
displayed some heavy striking to boot. Unfortunately for him,
McGee’s superior conditioning proved the difference (the two judges
that had it 30-27 didn’t reflect the competitive nature of the
bout, in my opinion, as Yang deserved the second round). With his
southpaw slugger’s stance and excellent takedown defense, Yang
still offers plenty of action-packed possibilities. Now 1-2 in the
UFC, it will be interesting to see whom they pit him against
next.

Stock Down

Jake
Shields: It was devastating defeat for Shields, who
suffered the loss of his father late last month. He was caught by
Ellenberger and never recovered. This defeat gives the UFC a lot
more latitude with how to match him, and that could serve as a
springboard for him to run up another impressive streak.

Jonathan
Brookins: The talented “TUF 12” conquerer simply couldn’t
put it together against Koch. It isn’t like Brookins doesn’t have
decent standup, but rather the case of the one element he needed to
implement -- takedowns -- not materializing, leaving him pretty
much unable to get anything going. The drop back down to 145 is off
to a rough start for Brookins, but it wasn’t as though he was badly
outclassed or blown out. Koch was simply the better fighter
tonight.

Jason
MacDonald: The longtime UFC vet has often served as a
measuring stick for fellow middles, and tonight was a reminder of
that caste assignment. When he’s on, MacDonald can unleash dazzling
submissions and jiu-jitsu, but his limited standup game leaves him
largely reliant on that phase of his game, the pitfalls of which
were obvious tonight.